Editorial: Not the right time for FoodShare restrictions

Rep. Dean Kaufert of Neenah is proposing a pilot FoodShare program.

If our tax dollars are going to pay for people who need financial assistance to feed their families, it makes sense that the money should be spent wisely.

No one wants to see FoodShare dollars - which go to those who truly can't support themselves - being spent on full-sugar sodas. Or candy bars. Or fatty, salty snacks.

Rep. Dean Kaufert has taken a common-sense approach with the bill he introduced to tell those who use food stamps what they can and can't eat. He thinks that if you're going to dine on the state's tab, you better eat a healthy meal.

While Kaufert has good intentions, the bill would be too difficult to implement. It would create a complex system that gives a thumbs up or thumbs down to every item available in a grocery store.

The rules involved with the law and the system of policing FoodShare participants is too cumbersome to manage. The bill does not outline nutrition requirements for FoodShare participants, but instead would put that burden on the Department of Health Services.

Grocers oppose it because it could place too many restrictions on them and could cause problems in checkout lines. Cashiers would be put in the awkward position of telling FoodShare participants they can't purchase certain items.

Grocers also worry the bill could lead to bans and product placement requirements.

It's possible that, someday, the state could use technology that makes it easier for FoodShare participants to know what they can buy. Down the road, technology might make it easier for grocers to deal with this, too.

For now, however, the bill shouldn't be a top priority for Wisconsin. We need measures that improve the state's economy, not restrictions on the contents of shopping carts.

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Editorial: Not the right time for FoodShare restrictions

If our tax dollars are going to pay for people who need financial assistance to feed their families, it makes sense that the money should be spent wisely.

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